


Point Of No Return

by PhoenixDXS



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Corruption, Deception, Evil Plans, F/M, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Heartbreak, Love, Murder, Revenge, Trust, dangerous mission, macriley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:27:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29833242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixDXS/pseuds/PhoenixDXS
Summary: Mac wakes up from the ambush, a shell of himself. But as Mac is consumed with one goal: Vengeance, he must find the strength to rise before he reaches the point of no return.
Relationships: Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Russ Taylor & Matilda "Matty" Webber, Wilt Bozer/Leanna Martin
Comments: 25
Kudos: 40





	1. This Means War!

**Author's Note:**

> I cant wait for you guys to read this! I truly hope you enjoy this...I'm honestly excited about it!
> 
> Thank you for coming with me on this journey!! 💕
> 
> Please feel free to read Along Came Mac and Becoming The MacGyvers for context of this story. BUT you don't have to, you should be able to follow along without reading the first two parts 💖

**_The Next Day at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre_ **

Mac woke up in the UCLA Medical Centre, dazed and confused. His eyes struggled to open as the memories of the night before came rushing back. The first flashes were the good ones. He remembered how happy Riley was as they walked through the Central Garden. His heartbeat slowed as he remembered the awe in her eyes. The smile on her face when she first saw the fireflies made him feel invincible. He would never forget the love in her eyes. The love he would do anything for, the love he would die to protect. He saw that love in her eyes when she read the message and spun around to him. He would never forget the small moment of true happiness that life had finally let him feel. Riley. All of her, her being and her essence - that was what; true happiness was for him.

Then he heard the scream. He heard Riley screaming for help. Mac could still hear the heart-breaking way she screamed out his name. Mac remembered how he had failed Riley by failing to protect her. Mac knew that forgiving himself for his failure would never happen. As he tried to block out the pain, he heard her scream, “Don’t shoot”, and then the gunshots. Mac felt sick to his stomach as his tears ran freely down his face. He felt broken as he realised, he had nothing left. Everything; had finally been ripped away from him. A wave of pure anger rose in his chest. Mac felt a kind of pain he had never felt before. He knew grief, he knew sadness, but this was something else. He no longer had anything to live for; he had nothing to lose. Mac sat up gingerly as the beating that last night’s ambush left him with; took its toll. He had finally managed to get his feet on the ground when Jack walked in.

“Mac? Where the hell do you think you’re going? Get back in that bed!”, his voice was hoarse and full of concern.

Mac looked up at Jack’s face; he looked exhausted - his eyes showing the distress of the past 12 hours. If Mac didn’t feel so empty, he would have tried to comfort him.

“Jack, get out of my way.”

“Mac, you’re in no condition to leave.”, Jack reminded him.

“I don’t care what condition I’m in. If you think I’m staying in this hospital while the animals that murdered the only happiness I had left in this God-forsaken world - roam free, then you have another thing coming.”, Mac spat out.

“You think I don’t want to kill those bastards too? You think I’m standing here without my little girl, and I’m okay? I lost her too, Mac! But I’m not about to lose you as well.”, Jack shouted back.

Mac clenched his fists as tears streaked down his face. In a matter of 12 hours, he had gained and lost his entire world. He looked up at Jack, and for the first time since he woke - he truly saw Jack. Just like him, without Riley, Jack was a shell of himself.

“Diane?”, Mac whispered as he could only imagine how she must be feeling.

“Diane is devastated, Mac. We all are – but I promise you, we will find the bastards that did this but not with you like this, Mac.”, said Jack, gently.

Jack walked up to Mac and engulfed him in a hug. It was a hug that Mac didn’t know he needed. As soon as Jack held him, everything in him broke. Mac sank to the ground as he fell apart, and Jack continued holding him tight.

“She said yes, Jack…she said yes. She gave me everything…it was right there. Oh God, she was right there! They took her away from me! They’ve taken everything away from me! I have nothing left!”, Mac wept in desperate grief as he grabbed onto Jack in despair.

Feeling helpless, Jack held him as the grief Mac felt destroyed him just as much as his own. He had no clue how they would ever recover. As Jack held on tight to Mac - Jack silently sobbed his tears of despair. He had absolutely no clue how to heal Mac.

**_An Hour Later…_ **

Jack watched Mac as he slept soundly in bed. The nurses had to sedate him; Mac had been beside himself with grief, and he had never seen him like that. Even thinking about it broke something within Jack. He squeezed his eyes closed tight as tears rolled down his face. Mac had lost so much. It felt like some a cruel joke. Riley was their world, and now she was gone. Initially, he thought someone had kidnapped her, but it had been over 12 hours, and there was no chatter, no sign – not even a ransom request. If they had shot Riley, she would be dead by now. The whole of Phoenix had been searching, and it was still radio silence.

Jack's heart was breaking second by second. In less than a day, he had lost his little girl and his best friend. He knew Mac would never be the same again. He may never heal from finally getting to feel some pure happiness and then have it ripped away from him. Jack wiped the tears from his eyes and looked over at Mac. He had to be resilient, for Mac and especially for Diane. They were all Jack had left now.

Jack’s phone began to vibrate, momentarily breaking him out of his thoughts. He looked down to see Matty’s name. He sighed heavily and picked up.

“Matty…don’t say it. Please. Just don’t say it.”, Jack spoke with exhaustion and grief in his voice.

Matty sniffled slightly, and it took Jack by surprise - Matty wasn’t a crier, but this was Riley. Jack instantly filled with dread.

“Jack…we found video footage of the ambush. She’s not dead. They took her, but they didn’t kill her. Riley’s alive, but we still don’t know where she is.”

Jack instantly shot up from his chair and moved out of the room as he tried not to wake Mac.

“Matty, please tell me you’re sure? Please!”, Jack said as he choked back a sob.

“She’s alive, Jack! I know for sure because it leads to our next problem. The CIA, FBI and NSA have just realised a warrant for her arrest. She’s being framed: for the murders of Kyle Denver and California State Senator: Jacob Williams. The video we found shows the masked men shooting what seems to be them in front of Riley. That’s why she screamed, ‘Don’t Shoot’. They shot both men and put Riley in the back of the SUV. By the time we found Mac, the bodies were gone.”

Jack sank to the ground as he took in all the information. Riley. His little girl was still alive, but quickly the realisation dawned on him that she was still in danger. More than that, she was Public Enemy Number One right now.

“Jack, I need you to get to War Room ASAP. There’s more I have to tell you, but if we’re going to find Riley and bring our girl back home – we have to be more careful than we have ever been. Riley is in a lot of danger, and we need to tread carefully.”

“What about Mac?”, Jack asked.

“I can only imagine how destroyed Mac is.”, Matty let out a breath in sadness. “But I don’t want to involve him until I’ve told you everything…in person. Now, Jack!”, Matty ordered.

“Okay.”

Jack hung up as he stood up to looked at a sleeping Mac. He had never felt such relief knowing Riley was still alive, but from the tone of Matty’s voice, whoever had Riley was dangerous and very connected. Jack had a feeling that they were in for the fight of their lives.

****

****

**_Meanwhile at The Phoenix War Room._ **

Wordlessly, Matty sat watching the grainy video of Mac and Riley’s ambush for the hundredth time. What she saw in the footage was a well planned and efficiently timed ambush. Whoever orchestrated this had kept a close eye on Mac and Riley for a while. It had to be someone with an intelligence background, someone who had worked for the CIA or FBI. It was clean, quick and way too professional to be considered luck or amateur. In frustration, she turned the video off and slammed her tablet down on the table.

“Matilda, breaking the tablet won’t make the video any clearer.”, Russ said kindly as he stood at the doorway.

Matty turned around to look at him. She was so angry and worried that she didn’t have the strength to retort back. Russ crossed the room to her in a matter of steps and knelt to cup her face.

“I’m sorry, I know my efforts of levity don’t always hit the mark. Matilda, we will find her - we have the best agents. Agents - who love Riley as much as we do, if not more. They can do this – even without us.”, Russ said lovingly while he stroked his wife’s face. He wanted to take her burden away, but they both knew finding Riley would be hard. However, to ask their agents to do so with limited support from the Phoenix felt like something else.

“I can’t lose her, Russell. None of us can.”, Matty spoke defiantly. Russ nodded and gently kissed her.

“I love you”, Matty whispered.

“I love you, too”, Russ replied.

Russ stood up just as Adam Mage walked into the War Room. Matty wasted no time and was the first to turn and address Mage.

“Secretary Mage, thank you for coming at short notice. I wouldn’t have urged for this, but this is an emergency.”

“Director Webber, I’m more than happy to help The Phoenix and especially Ms Davis. You protected my family, and she helped save Zack’s life. If there is anything I can do, to see her safe return – then consider it done.”, Mage said compassionately.

Matty's tablet pinged and she looked down to find the intel she'd been waiting for. Finally the dots had been connected, she looked up at Mage and Russ with a steeled look, “Good, because after the intel I’ve just received, we’re going to need all-hands-on-deck…”

****

****

****

****

**_40 minutes Later…_ **

Jack walked into the war room to see Matty, Russ, Bozer and Secretary Mage waiting for him. By the looks on their face, it seemed the intel they had didn’t point to the good news. As Jack braced himself for the worst-case scenario, Desi walked into the war room. She looked drained as he did. Desi had been distraught just like the rest of the team when they first heard the news and struggled to find Riley. Now, Desi looked like she was ready to raise hell. Jack figured only he and Desi knew the truth about Riley. Just like him, Desi was beyond ready; to rain vengeance down on the bastards that took Riley.

“Matty, Russ. What’s going on? Where is she? Have you found her?”, Jack asked, concerned.

“We haven’t found her, but now we know why and we know who kidnapped Riley.”, Matty replied.

  
“Explain.”, Desi jumped in.

“When Riley stopped Kyle Denver form selling those tech guns, she made a copy of the schematics to look over for weakness. I knew that handing over such a thing to the FBI could run its risks - so we had to be prepared”, said Matty.

“Which was a good thing as Agent Simon Vokera went rouge with the gun and the schematics. Riley helped shut down those guns at Zack’s wedding but, by doing so, made herself a known target again. We suspect Vokera let slip of Riley’s identity to Denver and his Uncle, Senator Colin Denver and Senator Williams. We believe they were the ones that ambushed them and took Riley.”, Russ explained.

“The group Denver was working with is called Nexus. We don’t know who leads it and why they turned on both Denver and Senator Williams, but whoever they are, they are dangerous, ruthless and connected. Senator Denver is involved somehow, and he is the one leading the warrant for Riley’s arrest. It’s a top to bottom set up.”, Bozer added.

“It also means my involvement to help you all - has to be kept hidden. Which unfortunately means that The Phoenix cannot directly get involved or you risk a government-mandated shut-down.”, Secretary Mage added.

“Wait...what? What the hell does that mean?”, Jack called out, concerned.

“Jack, look...I am sorry. Colin Denver has his hands in many government pockets, and if Sectary Mage even looks like going against Denver to help Phoenix, then we jeopardize Riley’s safety. He already knows about their connection. If Colin even suspects our knowledge of what’s going on, he could kill Riley and blame it on a capture gone wrong. I can’t afford that to happen, Jack. Can you?”, Matty replied cautiously.

Jack swallowed hard as he added up all the variables and options. He shook his head and stood taller. More than ready - with or without the Phoenix; Jack was determined to find Riley. He was right when he said it would be the fight of their lives.

“So, we’re going in the dark then? No comms? No Phoenix? Just me and Jack? What about Mac? He’ll never forgive us if we do this without him, but he’s in no condition to go.”, Desi injected in the silence.

“Phoenix can’t get directly involved, and without our best cyber-security agent - covert tech isn’t possible. You both have to go dark and find her. We’ll give you all the intel we have, but we’re trusting you to find her. We know you will.”, Russ explained as the look of remorse etched across his face.

“We’ll all go to the hospital and tell Mac the truth. I know he’s in no condition for this, but this is Riley. After last night and what these animals destroyed for those two. I can’t lie to him. Not now. Not about this.”, Matty said softly.

Jack and Desi both nodded and then looked at each other. Jack knew Mac would go even he had no legs to stand on. So, it was down the three of them to find and save Riley. He looked over at Desi, and from the look in her eyes, he knew they all would die trying.

Russ, Matty, Bozer and Mage all filed out of the war room as Desi and Jack followed behind. It was time to tell mac the truth and get back Riley back safety.

Jack was walking out when Desi stopped and turned to him, “Hey Jack, I just want to say, I’m sorry for failing you.”

“Failing me? When did you fail me?”, Jack blinked in confusion - he had no idea what she meant by that.

“You brought me here to protect Mac, and in the process - the team. Last night, Mac and Riley had to suffer, and I wasn’t there to protect them. If I am honest, for the past few years - I should have done a better job of protecting Mac. From Codex, his dad, his aunt but It all just became so tangled. I didn’t handle it well, so I’m sorry.”, Desi replied, with hints of tears emerging in her eyes.

Jack sighed deeply and shook his head. He brought Desi in for a hug as he smiled sadly, “Desi, I know what happened. I wasn’t there, but I know. Look, in this line of work, sometimes we let our emotions cloud us. We’re human, and it what happens. Our emotions are our greatest strength and our most crippling of weaknesses. All that matters is trust.”

Jack pulled back and smiled softly down at her, “You’re human like we all are, but you’re also a damn good agent. What happened to Mac and Riley will never be your fault, so don’t even go there. Mac is alive, and Riley is too. So, you and I are gonna go get our girl and make those evil SOB’s wish they’d never touched a hair on her head.”

Desi smiled softly, nodding her head as she took a deep breath in, “Thank you, Jack. Let’s go get them.”, she said defiantly.

****

**_1 hour later…Back at the Hospital_ **

Jack intently watched as Matty explained the mission to Mac. He watched Mac as the looks of relief, shock, fear, anger, and determination flashed across his face. He knew Mac would go through hell and high water to get Riley, and when he pulled himself out of his hospital bed – be it a little shaky but strong – Jack knew Mac was ready, and no one could tell otherwise.

“Mac, I know the answer, but I have to ask. Are you sure you can physically do this?” Russ asked, concerned.

“Unless I stop breathing, I can do this - they have Riley. They have my Riley! With or without the Phoenix, I’m getting her back.”, Mac said definitely. He looked at Jack and Desi, with an unquenchable fire in his eyes and his voice resilient as iron, “We…are getting her back”.

Desi, Jack and Mac all nodded at each other. Form this point onwards - this meant war…

Jack took a moment to step outside and call Diane. He wanted her to know the truth - he owed her that much. He trusted her enough to know and let him do what he had to.

“Jack? Have you heard something?”, Diane asked, scared as she picked up the phone.

“Baby, she’s okay. Some SOB has her, but she’s alive. Mac, Desi and I are going to get her. We gotta go dark, so this is the last time I can speak to you. I want you to know; I love you so much, honey. I’ll do everything I can to bring our little girl back, but If I don’t make it. I want you to know, you mean everything to me.”, Jack said softly.

“Baby… don’t you dare! You bring her home, and you better bring your ass back home too. I swear to God, Jack. Please, both of you have to come back to me. Promise me!”, Diane said.

Jack sadly smiled as tears ran down his cheeks. He would do everything in his power to keep that promise.

“I promise…”


	2. One For The Money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riley wakes up from the ambush disorientated, angry and determined. Some ghosts from her past change the game for her but Riley is solely focus on finding Mac and going home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to read Along Came Mac and Becoming The MacGyvers for context of this story. BUT you don't have to, you should be able to follow along without reading the first two parts 💖

**_11 hours earlier…somewhere in Mexico…Definitely not Cancun._ **

****

Riley rasped in a burning breath of air as her right ribs throbbed in pain. Outstretching a shaky hand, Riley only felt a cold, hard concrete floor. She slowly opened her eyes, letting out a groan as the throbbing pain from her head came rushing to the forefront of her consciousness. Slowly and painfully, Riley sat up to find herself in a dark cell. Right behind her was a small, weak bed cradled under a dingy window that looked sealed. Riley crawled up into her hands and knees, braced against the bed, and lifted herself. Riley was exhausted, disorientated and probably still in shock. Her right ribs were in agony, and she didn’t know for sure how injured her ribs were. They felt incredibly bruised, but she considered that that could be the shock hiding the extent of her injuries.

She got herself on the bed and slowly looked around. Whoever kidnapped her didn’t want her to obtain any clues of her whereabouts. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and instantly, the memories of the ambush came flooding back. The image of Mac badly injured while they dragged her away haunted her. She remembered screaming for him with everything she had. Riley grimaced in pain as her heart broke at the thought. Seeing Mac get out of the car and struggling to reach her broke something within her. Riley took several deep breaths and swallowed hard as she tried to process the flashbacks. Her heart was beating so fast and loud it felt like the sound filled the room. Suddenly, the image of masked men shooting Kyle Denver and Senator Williams in front of her engulfed her mind. She gasped and breathed through the anger that was rapidly building within her.

Riley had been confused about the murders until the masked men tied her hands to the gun. The only reason to do that was to get her fingerprints in place. The gun only had two bullets, and they used them effectively. They would probably frame her for this, and due to her prior run-in with Kyle Denver, it was an easy setup. She exhaled a shaky breath as she thought about Mac. She needed him to be okay; Mac seemed to have taken the brunt of the crash. Mac was as tough as nails, and she prayed to God, he was safe. He had to be okay. She refused to think about any other option. Riley knew she couldn’t go on if she did.

The lock on the door started to turn, and the door of the cell slowly creaked open. Two masked men entered, and a man followed closely behind them, but it was too dark to see his face. The masked men set up a chair across from her - that the man Riley now assumed to be the leader - sat on. His henchmen turned on the lights, and Riley immediately squinted, and her eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden flash of light. The flood of light overtook her senses, and more than anything, It aggravated her headache.

“Riley Davis. My, my, my; It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Riley’s head snapped up as her eyes widened. Miles Young, a former white-hat hacker and at a time, he was even a friend to her. Well, until he showed his hand and betrayed her. She swallowed hard as she tried to keep a lid on her anger. She refused to let him rattle her. Whatever he was up to, she’d stop him and get the hell out of her. At least she knew who she was up against now.

“I thought you were crawled up in a hole somewhere - informing the FBI.”, she jabbed calmy.

He lightly scoffed as he looked at her from top to bottom, with an air of curiosity, “Not all of us were lucky enough to have a secret spy agency break us out.”

“I’m sure if you were on your best behaviour, you would have. Or if you had been any good at hacking then, maybe.”

“Says the woman who got caught by the FBI.”, Miles sneered.

Riley’s eyes burned with anger as she breathed deeply. She needed to reign in her rising anger, “We both know I let myself get caught, to protect my Mom. Something I wouldn’t have needed to do if you hadn’t betrayed me!”

“It wasn’t personal, Riley; it was – “

“Business - yeah, I know. Just like me when I make sure you’re thrown back in the hole you came crawling out from.”, Riley spat out.

“So confident. You haven’t changed a bit, have you, Riley?”, Miles mocked. He stood up slowly as a smirk emerged on his face. He calmly walked out without a word, and his henchmen obediently followed him out - leaving Riley alone again in the painful silence that followed.

Riley cradled her ribs, and she pulled herself off of the dusty, creaky bed she sat on. She slowly looked around the cell she was now locked in for any potential openings to escape. So far, Riley had come up short. She sighed deeply, and she walked up the door, leaning against it weakly. Riley tried to wrap her head around the events of the last few hours. She didn’t even know how long it had been. She had no way of telling how long she had been asleep or how long ago the ambush was. Time was already becoming an abstract concept for her, and it was terrifying.

Miles Young had kidnapped her, but for what? Why had he killed Kyle Denver and Senator Williams? These questions rattled around in her head as she thought about Miles and the young man she once knew.

She and Miles had been a part of The Collective together. He had been the one to recruit her in a way. Once she convinced Peyton and Kai to join her, Miles had been helpful in teaching her how to navigate the group. She had taught Miles everything he knew about hacking, and at one point, they were close friends. He knew about her, her life and her Mom. They went to high school together and having him around had allowed her to feel confident about joining The Collective.

That was until she refused to let him in on Nemesis. In retaliation, he had told The Collective about her plans to keep Nemesis in her control and not for the nefarious use they had intended for it. He had told them about her Mom and compromised her. So, when they threatened her, she had to sacrifice herself for her Mom, Peyton and Kai. Because of him, she had ended up in prison, and the rest was history.

Riley jumped as the cell door began opening again. She inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and braced herself for another confrontation with Miles. Riley slowly backed up closer to the bed behind her as the same henchmen walked in. Similar to before, someone followed closely behind them, but this time it was a woman. The henchmen walked to the different edges of the room, and Riley gasped as she recognised the newcomer.

Annaleigh Choi…

_What the heck is this? Ghosts of The Collective’s Past?_

“Annaleigh? What the hell - you’re working with him?”, Riley questioned as her mind tried to work through her shock.

The Korean American, former System’s and Software Engineer looked down to the ground timidly. Annaleigh cleared her throat and grimaced awkwardly. Feeling uneasy under Riley’s questioning gaze, Annaleigh shuffled her feet and quickly sat down in the seat left behind by Miles.

“Riley, it’s been a long time. Honestly…I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances but let me explain. Miles…can be abrasive and arrogant, but you already know that. But what we’re doing here; It’s for the greater good”, Annaleigh looked at her earnestly, and Riley felt the familiar sadness she felt when she learnt the truth about Peyton and Codex.

Somehow Miles had gotten to her, convinced her that whatever this was, whatever they were up to was somehow for the betterment of others. Riley gently sighed as she realised that going on the defensive was the wrong approach for Annaleigh. Annaleigh had always been a kind person, and her gut told her that that hadn’t changed – even now. So, she changed her tactics.

“What exactly is going on here, Anna?”, Riley gently moved herself to the bed and looked Annaleigh in the eye. “I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve, but this was a kidnapping, Anna! That is not the MO of someone who is on the up and up – and who is we?”

Annaleigh swallowed hard as she fidgeted her fingers in her lap. Riley almost cracked a smile at the sight before her. Annaleigh was a genius, a sweetheart and a genuinely kind person. A dangerous operative she was not. Which further added to Riley’s confusion about her involvement in whatever was going here. Annaleigh was a part of The Collective, but her role had mainly been the research and development of tech and software. She could hack well enough, but she was essentially The Collective’s toned-down version of Mac. Much like Miles, at a point, Annaleigh had been a close friend. Unlike Miles, Annaleigh had always been full of integrity. She was the one that gave her a heads up on Miles’s betrayal. It gave her time to warn Peyton and Kai and to formulate a plan to protect her Mom.

So regardless of Annaleigh being a part of whatever was going here, Riley was sure - it was because Annaleigh genuinely believed that she was doing good. In all likelihood, Annaleigh probably was, but Miles had to be taking advantage of that.

“Riley, I understand, and I’m not condoning his methods at all. I told him numerous times that kidnapping you would be completely wrong, but he didn’t listen.”, Annaleigh replied gently as a look of remorse and sympathy sprawled across her face. “I want to explain why you’re here. You deserve to know.”

“It wasn’t just a kidnapping, Anna; Miles ambushed us. He crashed into our car…my ribs injured - and Mac…I don’t even know if he’s alive…”, Riley’s voice shook and disappeared at the mention of Mac. The image of him bleeding flashed across her mind, and she wiped away the tears that rolled down from her eyes.

“Oh my God, Riley…I’m so sorry. He told me you didn’t come willingly, so he took you. I didn’t know he attacked you and hurt someone else!”, Anna got up and sat by Riley. She placed an arm around her, and somehow Riley welcomed the comfort.

“Wait, who is Mac?”, Annaleigh asked.

Riley opened her eyes, and they slowly travelled down to her hands. She looked at the engagement ring that still sat beautiful and undisturbed on her finger. Tears flooded her eyes, but Riley blinked them away. She had to focus - she had to get back to Mac, and the only way to do that was to focus.

“He’s my fiancée.”, Riley whispered as she held up her left hand. Annaleigh lightly gasped as she held Riley tighter.

“Riley, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…” Annaleigh whispered.

“I don’t even know if he’s alive.”, Riley said faintly, and she swallowed back her tears.

“I’ll find him, I promise…I’ll hack into nearby hospitals and CCTV around the area, and I’ll get you an answer. I’m so, so sorry Riley…honestly”, Annaleigh’s voice was strained, and Riley could see the remorse in her eyes.

“Where did the ambush happen?”, Annaleigh asked.

“15 minutes north of the Getty Central Gardens.”

“Okay, I promise. I will find Mac for you.” Annaleigh nodded sharply, and Riley returned it.

“I still want to explain what’s going on to you. Now more than ever, you deserve an explanation.”, said Annaleigh.

“I’m listening.”, Riley replied.

“After his prison release, he was filled with a lot of restlessness. Miles started his own collective and called it Nexus because it was ‘the start of something pure’.”, Annaleigh said and then sadly smiled.

She wasn’t looking at Riley, more through her. Whatever Miles had turned Nexus into didn’t sit right with Annaleigh. Riley saw an opening, a weakness in the defences.

“Has it been pure?”, Riley probed.

“Yes…I mean – “, she looked up to address the guards. “Ryan, Ben – please give us a minute.”

The guards nodded and left the cell, closing the door behind them. Annaleigh turned to face her, and now she seemed a little more at ease.

“Won’t they get suspicious?”, Riley asked, confused.

“No…Ryan, I trust with my life and Ben…well…he would never hurt me.”, Annaleigh spoke with such noticeable affection, Riley was compelled to believe her. Her face when she mentioned Ben indicated there were more than just feelings of trust there.

“Okay…well again, Annaleigh. What’s going on here.”

“Nexus did start pure. We researched renewable energy, renewable sources of food and sustainable economics. We were doing well, but we ran out of money fast. Miles was stressed, and as much as I tried to encourage him to bid for research proposals, his criminal record was an obstacle. He proposed bidding to the military, but I pleaded against that. At first, he agreed, but then we completely ran out of money.

“He disappeared for a month, left me struggling to keep things together and then when reappeared, he came back with money…a lot of it, and a new goal. Then Nexus was hired by a private contractor willing to pay millions for a new tech-based defence system. I thought he was talking about software…but soon I realised he meant the D.U.N.E guns – “

“Dune? As in the movie, Dune?”, Riley asked, perplexed.

“No, D.U.N.E stands for Directly U Nuclear Energy. It’s dangerous because the gun uses a renewable source. A Nexus Physicist found a way to source uranium from seawater instead of mined Ore. Eventually, the heat signature tracking system that I made for us then was added to the gun. So, not only is the energy source that powers the gun; endless - but its rate of target accuracy is above 90% regardless of the shooter’s skill.”

“So, in the hands of the military or anyone - that’s essentially WW3.”, Riley spoke in shock.

“Exactly, and that’s what the contractor wanted.”

“But who would want that…” Riley stood up as the pieces started to fall in place. Her gut was screaming an answer at her, and she didn’t know if it was paranoia or instinct.

“Riley are you okay?”, Annaleigh asked now visibly worried.

“Do you know who the private contractor was?”

“Not personally, but the organisation we worked for was called Codex.”, Annaleigh stated.

Riley fell back down on the bed, defeated but not shocked. Codex was back, she was probably Public Enemy Number One, and The Phoenix probably presumed her dead. Riley was on her own. If Mac was okay, she knew he would come looking for her, but she didn’t know if he was. Riley swallowed hard and steeled herself. It wasn’t the time for that thinking. She had to stop Codex, get out of this cell and find Mac.

As she looked down at her engagement ring, she found the strength to look up at Annaleigh with unwavering determination, “If this is for Codex, why to kill Kyle Denver and Senator Williams?”

Annaleigh placed her small hands in her lap as she bunched them into tight fists.

“That was the last straw for me. I thought adding a hidden failsafe would be enough to protect people, but I was wrong. When I heard he had killed Kyle, the Senator and planned to frame you, I knew this became more than just trying to survive financially. Kyle worked with Miles on the guns. Once they were ready, Kyle stole the D.U.N.E gun prototype and schematics to try and sell them on the black market. You stopped him, so Miles blackmailed an F.B.I agent to get it back.

“Codex threatened Miles for losing them, so he tried to auction them off for Codex on the wedding day of Secretary Mage’s step-son. You stopped him again, and when Agent Vokera told Miles - he started his plan to eliminate your interference.”, Annaleigh wrung her hands together nervously as she looked at Riley.

“Annaleigh, I know you had good intentions, but Codex is hellbent on killing billions of innocent lives to protect the earth. I know you must feel some allegiance to Miles, but I’m begging you, right now – please help me stop him!”, Riley implored her.

“That’s why I’m here Riley - I’ve been passive long enough. We have to stop them…”

****

**_Meanwhile somewhere in Mexico…_ **

Mac, Desi and Jack had landed in Mexico 2 hours ago and were now driving to the last place Riley’s cell-phone GPS pinged before disappearing. Matty’s intel had informed them that she was probably in Mexico somewhere in a Nexus base. So now they were on route to the co-ordinates that Matty gave them. They had to meet an informant who was the last non-nexus member to visit the same area.

Mac remained still as stone while he looked outside the passenger window. Jack and Desi were taking turns to drive, and it was currently Jack’s turn. The car was painfully silent, and Jack would occasionally look over at Mac. He was stoic and focused - it was slightly worrying. He didn’t know what thoughts were crossing his mind. Mac had been through so much emotionally and physically in the last 36 hours, and Jack was worried about where Mac’s mind settled.

He knew that Mac was solely focused on Riley and finding her but Jack worried about the extent; he would go to achieve that. Before he found out Riley was alive, Jack had seen pure vengeance and grief in Mac's eyes. It was something he had never seen before. Mac was like a kite and Riley was his rope. Without her, he didn’t even want to think of how low Mac could have sunk.

“Hey guys, we’re almost at the co-ordinates. What’s the plan?”, Desi asked.

“We’ve got to get the base co-ordinates from the informant and try and find a way to get in and out with Riley before they get suspicious and before the FBI raid the place”, Jack replied pensively.

“We do need a plan of how we break-in. We have no building schematics so, we’re going to have to go undercover with the informant since they have worked with Nexus at some point”, Mac suggested.

“We’re here...” Jack mentioned as he parked up the truck on a dirt road - near a forest. They got out of the car and scoped the area. Without warning, Mac stalked further into the strange forest. Jack and Desi were then forced to follow him.

“Mac, where are we, and where are we going?”, Desi asked, confused.

“We’re currently entering the Sierra Juárez forest. It’s one of the wettest forests in Mexico, and the closer we walk in, the cloudier it will get, so stay alert.”, Mac said darkly. They walked deeper into the forest for about 20 minutes until they arrived at the co-ordinates Matty gave.

“Matty were here, but there are no signs of a base or the informant. It must be miles deeper into the forest.”, Mac spoke through his comms.

“I would assume so. The informant will be there…but …Mac…I’m sorry, but you’re not going to like who is it. Unfortunately, we don’t have many leads, and we have to keep as much in the dark as possible. After this point, we have to cut the comms.”, Matty replied.

“I get it, but this is Riley. At this point, Matty, I don’t care who it is…”, Mac said ominously.

“Oh, goodie! And there’s me thinking it would be an unwelcome reunion. It’s good to see you again, Angus!”

Mac, Jack and Desi froze then spun around in shock, “Murdoc…”, growled Mac, taking in a deep breath, he curled his hands into fists.

  
He dampened his anger because this was about Riley. He had to put aside his emotions to find and bring her back home to him. 

No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to read Along Came Mac and Becoming The MacGyvers for context of this story. BUT you don't have to, you should be able to follow along without reading the first two parts 💖

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to read Along Came Mac and Becoming The MacGyvers for context of this story. BUT you don't have to, you should be able to follow along without reading the first two parts 💖


End file.
